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The first German support arrived in August 1936 and helped airlift Franco's Army of Africa to the mainland in the first mass airlift of troops in history. Military assistance from Hitler increased rapidly in the next few months, by November it was officially amalgamated into the "Condor Legion", a force of 100 aircraft and 5000 men under the command of Hugo Sperrle, who would later command Luftwaffe units in the Battle of Britain.

Unlike the more generous Mussolini the Germans expected to paid for this service in the form of metal ores from the Basque mines (which Hitler seemed to have a faintly guilty conscience about, as he complained he didn't like meeting with Franco as he had to haggle 'like a Jew'). However, unlike the Italians with their low quality gear Germany was giving Franco the very best.

The Germans took full advantage of the war to test new weapons and tactics - the Heinkel 111 and Ju-87 Stuka dive bomber as well as the Bf109 fighter all first saw active service in the Condor Legion, and the results of that combat experience proved invaluable in the early months of WW2.